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Episode 1400: Bud Selig Speaks
Date July 5, 2019 Summary Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Sam Malone maligning the Mariners, the unlikely career of pinch-hitter extraordinaire Mark Sweeney, the joys of watching Fernando Tatis, Jr., Bryce Harper’s Amazon store, and the definition of “MLB legend.” Then (29:43) Ben talks to Hall of Famer Bud Selig, Commissioner Emeritus and author of the new memoir For the Good of the Game, about Selig’s career, how he built consensus, the mistakes owners made in the ’70s and ’80s, collusion, how MLB missed opportunities to promote itself, steroid testing and Barry Bonds, public ballpark funding, the rise of MLBAM and big broadcast contracts, the future of competitive balance and labor peace, and more. Lastly (56:13), Ben and Meg reconvene to discuss Selig’s comments and analyze his complex legacy. Topics * Interview with Bud Selig * Effective ways for connecting with owners * Ownership strategies in the 1970s and 80s * Importance of labor peace and revenue sharing * Promoting baseball * Collusion * Causes of spike in franchise values * Looking back at the PED era * Why didn't MLB test earlier in the major or minor leagues? * Barry Bonds * Importance of MLB Advanced Media * Public funding for stadiums * Team relocation * Competitiveness and revenue sharing * Bud Selig's legacy * Role of the MLB commissioner * Ballpark impact studies * CBA negotiations * Selig's election to the Hall of Fame * How Bud Selig wants to be viewed Intro Rob Orbison, "(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time" Interstitials Willie Nelson, "Buddy" Reba McEntire, 'That's What He Said" Outro Superchunk, "I Guess I Remembered it Wrong" Banter * Ben and Meg discuss baseball on Cheers ''and ''Frasier after Ben recently finished watching through all of Cheers. Invoking Sam's definition of 'baseball thing', Meg says that Frasier is secretly a sports show. * Mark Sweeney career retrospective * The joys of watching Fernando Tatis, Jr. * Bryce Harper's Amazon store * What does it take to be called a MLB legend? Email Question * Mitch: "I just got an ad thrown at me for a Bryce Harper Store on Amazon, selling stuff he's endorsing (including pomade, because of course it includes pomade), and the ad text said "Run faster and hit harder with gear from an MLB Legend." I think this is ripe for a classic Effectively Wild "define a term" project. Is Bryce Harper an MLB legend? Can you be an MLB legend as an active player? How long do you have to play to be an MLB legend? How good do you have to be?" Notes * Mark Sweeney holds the MLB record for pinch-hit RBI. * Ben and Meg agree that aspects of Bryce Harper's career and mythology are legendary, but he is not yet a MLB legend. * Selig said that he kept in constant contact with all of MLB's owners, talking on the phone with them frequently. He wanted to know where he stood with each of them on a number of issues. * When discussing how MLB was passed in popularity by the NFL, Selig notes that "baseball is a social institution that resists change". * Selig is a strong proponent for public funding of stadiums, arguing that it is "one of the best" uses of money for an area. * Ben suggests the idea that revenue sharing has made it possible for teams to still make a significant profit while not making great strides to be competitive. Selig highlights the Cubs and the Astros as teams that were able to rebuild and win, using revenue sharing funding to help make that possible. * Ben and Meg are surprised by how Selig clearly states that he told owners to judge him by the change in their franchise value. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1400: Bud Selig Speaks * Frasierclip about the Mariners * [https://tht.fangraphs.com/baseball-on-cheers-25-years-later/ Baseball on Cheers, 25 Years Later by Sarah Wexler] * SABRcast Episode with Mark Sweeney * The Bryce Harper Store * Bryce Harper Hair Product Store * How Much of a Role Did Steroids Play in the Steroid Era? by Ben Lindbergh * A Harbinger of Hall of Fame Change * 'Lords of the Realm' at 25: The Book that Foreshadowed the 1994 Strike by Ben Lindbergh * The Economic Impact of the Milwaukee Brewers Category:Episodes Category:Guest Episodes